


Other Marinette

by Orahime



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Universe - Coraline Fusion, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chloé Bourgeois Being Chloé Bourgeois, F/M, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2019-09-13 12:12:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16892385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orahime/pseuds/Orahime
Summary: “That’s right Marinette, you’ve done so much for everyone.” A dark voice whispered in her mind. Marinette swiveled her head, trying to pinpoint the voice. “You’ve helped so many people,” the voice cooed, it was warm and deep and it held power. Unmistakable power that echoed in her very soul.“They should all pay for laughing at you, they don’t have any right to.” The voice continued. A small part of Marinette, the part that wasn’t overwhelmingly angry at the general population of the school, worried because why is there another voice in her head?But the darker, angrier part of Marinette pushed it away and locked it up in the spare room, who cares where this voice came from when it was speaking to her like it understood her pain.“Of course, I understand your pain, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the students at your school don’t deserve you, they don't even understand all that you’ve done for them.” Marinette found herself nodding. “How hard you’ve tried to protect them,” the voice continued. “From Akumas, from Chloe Bourgeois…” Marinette frowned deepened at the mention of the blond girl. “From me.”Papillon





	1. Spider Doll

**Author's Note:**

> This is still a draft? I'm not too sure where to go with this story but I've always loved the idea of Akumatised Marinette.

It was almost one in the morning and Marinette was still wide awake, she had just finished watching Coraline on Netflix. The end credits started and Marinette leisurely reached out to turn off her computer, careful not to jostle a sleeping Tikki who had made herself comfortable on Marinette’s lap. Tikki had a great fear of spiders, so Marinette was glad that her little Kwami had fallen asleep before the Other Mother transformed.

Marinette had been stitching a Papillon doll because Manon had asked why wasn’t the boss man a part of Marinette’s doll collection? Marinette didn’t have an answer so she had gathered her spare fabric and stuffing and began to sew.

It took her the entirety of the movie but a now completed Papillon doll sat on her desk next to her extensive collection. Of course, the ones which she was proudest of - Ladybug and Chat Noir sat on her bedside table, as tiny little guardians protecting her while she slept.

The others, the villain dolls as Manon had called them, sat on her dresser table. Her latest addition had been Captain Hardrock, Marinette had gotten into a habit of sewing a doll for each Akuma victim she had purified. 

A reminder that she had done something good.

Because once Miraculous Ladybug was cast, the magic erased any and all damage, and Marinette felt a little selfish thinking that there was nothing to remind her of the good that she had accomplished in her stint as Ladybug, Defender of Paris.

Leaning back in her chair, stretching her stiff muscles, Marinette glanced around her room, taking in the familiar posters of Adrien on the wall, which never failed to bring a smile to her face at the thought of her supermodel crush.

A smile that dropped almost instantly when Marinette was reminded that Adrien didn’t like her that way and it didn’t seem like he ever would. Marinette could almost feel the tension building on her shoulders so she shook it off and was determined not to let herself be demoralized.

Adrien didn’t like her as more than a friend only because Marinette hadn’t given him a reason to in the first place. Honestly, she couldn’t blame the blond model, Marinette was always a stuttering klutz whenever she was in Adrien’s immediate vicinity. It wasn’t very attractive. Or friendly.

Nothing good about it actually. So Alya had made her promise to ask Adrien out for a date tomorrow after school. Or today after school. Or later. Whenever she managed to have the guts to do it.

The Paris Music Festival had only been last week and Marinette was enjoying the quiet, no Akuma insight to wreak havoc in her already busy schedule. Carefully carrying Tikki, Marinette placed the Kwami on a small bed Tikki had claimed for her own.

Placing the Papillon doll next to all the others, Marinette finally turned in for the night. Relaying her plan once again. Greet Adrien in the morning. Casually ask if he was busy today after school, during lunch break. If he wasn’t, and he shouldn’t be since Marinette had triple checked his schedule, Marinette would invite him out to the arcade and maybe ice cream at Andre’s.

Simple as pie. Also, the pie that Marinette had helped her papa bake earlier today, well yesterday, earlier yesterday in the afternoon after school. Papa had mentioned how nobody could resist a good ol’ slice of pie.

The pie had been cut and packed in two different boxes. A bigger square one for Alya and Nino, and extras for anybody in class who wanted them. And a smaller pink box with a heart sticker on the side for Adrien.

Offer pie during lunch as an icebreaker. That was easy enough. Marinette didn’t want to brag, she was talking to herself in her own head so it technically wasn’t bragging, but nobody could resist the famous Dupain-Cheng Apple Pie.

Things were going to go exactly to plan and Marinette would have an amazing date with Adrien, he’ll realize that Marinette was the girl of his dreams, ask her to be his girlfriend, propose after Lycee and Marinette would have a beautiful spring wedding and Alya would be her maid of honor.

xxxXXXXxxx

Things did not go according to plan. First of all, Marinette had woken up late and had to run to school, she barely managed to get to class just before the bell rang and Mme Bustier had frowned at her and pointed at her desk.

Then Marinette had realized she had FORGOTTEN to bring the freaking pie to school so she had to run back home during lunch to grab it. Only, when she was running back Chloe had tripped her and now Marinette was standing in the middle of the school courtyard covered head to toe in the pie.

It was silent for a moment until the school erupted in deafening laughter. The worst part, the _very worst_ part of it all, Adrien had seen her and had been the first to laugh.

_It was his laughter that had set off the others._

Marinette could almost feel the physical pain of her heart shattering into a million pieces.

Alya, bless her soul, had immediately smacked Nino in the chest when he sniggered. But the damage was done. Marinette was covered head to toe in apple filling and pie crust while the special pink box for Adrien sat smushed under her thigh.

“Guess she’s more of a baker’s girl than we thought,” Chloe commented snidely with a menacing glint in her eye. It made everyone else laugh even harder and Marinette could see even Alya’s crooked smile as she tried to stifle her mirth.

Marinette took it back, don’t bless her soul. Damn it to hell. _Damn them all to hell_. Marinette could feel her ears burning along with the rest of her face, then tears started to spill and she hastily tried to wipe them away. It only got more apple filling to spread all over her cheeks, making her look like an even bigger mess than before.

"Aww, is wittle Marinette upset her pwesent for Adrien got ruined?" Chloe cooed as she crouched in front of Marinette with a simpering smile, pinching a flushed cheek in one hand.

"Don't worry Marinette, you can always try to be as sweet as the apples on your face," Chloe wipes the apple filling form her cheek onto Marinette's shoulder, causing the dark-haired girl to flinch at the action, "But Adrikins will never love you."

Chloe stood up and purposely stomped on the pink box with a self-satisfied smirk. 

" _Ever_."

Tears were burning on her cheeks, gathering her bag and abandoned whatever pie she had managed to not crush, Marinette hurried home, stinging tears leaving hot trails on her cheeks. The trip home was easy enough, Marinette had run the route half asleep more often than not.

Her parents had looked at her in shock and tried to say something, anything, but Marinette had ignored them and holed herself in her room, using the sink to wash up as much as she could without having to leave her room.

Marinette ignored the concerned voices of her parents from the other side of her hatch. Tikki even tried to console her but nothing could bring her out from the dark cloud of depression and humiliation that the last half hour had caused.

Soon enough, Tikki’s concern made Marinette irritable, it was bad enough that the laughter of the student body wouldn’t leave her head, it echoed cruelly in her mind. The faces of her classmates as they laughed mercilessly at her expense.

How Adrien, sweet precious Adrien who was always kind, always the first to lend a helping hand when he could, he had been the first to laugh at her. Even Alya, her supposed best friend had chuckled at her misery.

Feeling an unfamiliar burn in her chest, Marinette tried once again to block out Tikki’s voice. The Kwami had started to pull on Marinette’s pigtails when it was obvious that her chosen was spiraling deeper into a heavy cloud of anger.

“Enough Tikki!” Marinette yelled, her eyes bright with anger. The God of Creation gasped in shock as Marinette took off her Miraculous and shut them in a drawer, the Kwami had no choice but to return to the earrings.

Alone in her room, Marinette could still feel the eyes of her friends, classmates. People who were supposed to care for like how she cared for them. Didn’t it matter that Marinette had done so much good?

Saving innocent bystanders day after day, with nothing to show for as thanks.

She could still feel the stares on her skin and hear the laughter ringing in her head. It made her blood boil and the tears flow as she once again broke into sobs.

Marinette felt her body was like a buoy at sea, lost and unable to do anything except move with the tide. Her anger like waves, threatening to topple her reason and logic.

She swiveled her head and saw her sewing supplies, still laying haphazardly on her desk from her project last night. In a fit of rage, Marinette swept her arm out and knocked everything to the ground. Her needles, spools of thread, spare fabric and a plastic container of buttons toppled on the floor.

Marinette had knocked her mouse and the screen was brought back to life and Coraline appeared on her screen, ‘REPLAY?’ it asked. No thanks, Marinette thought bitterly.

This world was terrible and cruel, no matter how much good Marinette did, something mean and horrible always occurred. For a moment, Marinette was envious of the Other Mother, the ability to fabricate an entire world of her own where all your dreams seemed to come true, Marinette wanted it so much.

And all she needed were the eyes of little children, Marinette scoffed at the idea. Her anger burning deep in her belly, she dropped to the ground and began to pick up the fallen needles, it was dangerous after all. Marinette was a klutz, she would have stabbed one through her foot with a needle if she wasn’t careful.

And where would Paris be if their great defender couldn't even walk properly?

The dolls sitting innocently, staring at her from her dresser. They were all proof that Marinette had done some good in the world. Yet each and every one of them had laughed in her face. The burning, rolling anger was back.

It was unfair, Marinette decided, that she had done so much good. Had helped so many people, only to have them laughing at her misfortune. Marinette could remember every single person who had laughed at her in the courtyard and she had saved them all at least once. Bitter anger clawed its way to her throat as tears once again began to spill.

“ _That’s right Marinette, you’ve done so much for everyone_.” A dark voice whispered in her mind. Marinette swiveled her head, trying to pinpoint the voice. “ _You’ve helped so many people,_ ” the voice cooed, it was warm and deep and it held power. Unmistakable power that echoed in her very soul.

“ _They should all pay for laughing at you, they don’t have any right to._ ” The voice continued. A small part of Marinette, the part that wasn’t overwhelmingly angry at the general population of the school, worried because why is there another voice in her head?

But the darker, angrier part of Marinette pushed it away and locked it up in the spare room, who cares where this voice came from when it was speaking to her like it understood her pain.

“ _Of course, I understand your pain, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the students at your school don’t deserve you, they don't even understand all that you’ve done for them._ ” Marinette found herself nodding. “ _How hard you’ve tried to protect them,_ ” the voice continued. “ _From Akumas, from Chloe Bourgeois…_ ” Marinette frowned deepened at the mention of the blond girl. “ _From me_.”

_Papillon_

Papillon was in her head, heart racing Marinette tried to look around, where was the butterfly? She couldn’t see it, in a panic, Marinette knocked over the needles she had just managed to gather and pricked her hand. Dark drops of blood fell from her palm, the pain shaking Papillon’s grip on her ever so slightly..

“ _I can grant you power Marinette._ ” Papillon cooed. The power that seemed to cloak his voice, the tempting sound of his deep baritone, it didn't sound as good as did earlier. It was like the pain managed to shake away some of his hold on her.

“I don’t need it.” Marinette groundout.

Concentrating on the pain in her hand instead of the dark cloud that was trying to invade her mind. But it was too strong, it was like a storm cloud, it enveloped her mind in dark humidity, the promise of power, Marinette could have her revenge…

“ _I could give you all the power you need, Marinette,_ ” Marinette had never wanted power more than she did at this moment. She wanted it, she craved it, she needed it. “ _if you get me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous._ ” Ah, there was a catch.

In the mirror, Marinette could see the ethereal butterfly mask appear before her face, her face darkening as the previously forgotten rage once again began to boil in her core. An answering call to the dark power of the cloud that was Papillon.

“I doubt you’ll be getting those Miraculous, Papillon.” Maybe it was because with or without the mask, Marinette was still Ladybug, or maybe it was the fact that she had spent almost an entire year with Tikki in her ears, but some Kwami Magic residue activated itself and while Marinette could feel Papillon’s storm cloud enveloping her mind, her thoughts were strikingly clear.

A blast of Miraculous magic had released itself from Marinette’s body, severing Papillon’s connection to her mind. Marinette collapsed on the ground with a moan of pain, it felt like she had been hit by a bus. Taking in deep breaths, the young dark-haired girl tried to even her racing heart.

Now she could feel his power in her mind but there was no voice in her head promising her revenge. She didn't need anybody's help in her quest for vengeance. A smile with too many teeth stretched across her cheeks, yes, she didn't need anybody's help but her own.

Marinette felt the dark magic course through her body, through her veins, through her very soul, tainting her with his sticky darkness. All that she could see were the flashes of purple and black as she felt the transformation take over her.

It wasn't painful per se, it was excruciatingly painful, Marinette could feel her body physically changing. She felt her bones break and reform and break and reform once again it hurt like hell and Marinette briefly wondered if all Akuma victims felt the same agonizing pain. Reversing the transformation had always looked so fast and painless.

But then again Akuma victims of Papillon were usually just that, victims.

Marinette had taken Papillon's offering of power and kept it from herself. That blast of Miraculous magic probably did him more damage then it did her, and her muscles that she didn't know existed felt like they were going to bruise spectacularly on the morrow.

It was when the magic crawled down her hands and her flesh felt so cold that she thought that they had frozen and broken off did Marinette finally pass out from the pain.

When Marinette woke up, she didn’t even realize that she had fallen asleep. The sun that had been high in the sky was now setting, casting an orange glow to her room. When she woke up, her room was still a mess, She had slumped over the hatch to her room, maybe that was why her parents had yet to barge in on her. Her sewing materials, however, were no longer scattered across the floor of her room.

Pushing herself up, Marinette gasped as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were sunken in now, her skin a sickly white, her hair was longer now, much longer, it swept the floor while she walked. Marinette’s midnight tresses had been replaced by a vivid red that rivaled Nathaniel's. It hung heavy, long and straight down her back, if she was honest it looked like a waterfall of fresh blood.

Mesmerizing.

Her standard outfit had been replaced with a beautiful dress. It flowed in layers at her waist, bunching up at the back, not unlike a spider’s abdomen. The neckline was low, daringly so, it wrapped around her shoulders, hugged her breasts before dipping low enough to expose her belly button before it was hidden by her chunky bright red belt.

The skirt was rounded, the hem pulling in and hugging her legs just above her knees in black silk. Everything was made of silk, Marinette - _no that’s not her name_ , her sleeves were long and tapered off at her elbows before silk, even more, gorgeous red silk that matched the color of her new hair, silk with the dark pattern of intricate spiderwebs flared and flowed long and wide around her hands, longer even, covering her fingers with the delicate veil of silk.

It was great that the sleeves were so long, because they covered her grotesque hands. Turning them, she observed them under the light in her room and they looked like a terrible Hollywood movie blend of scissors and claws. Her hands were made entirely of metal and looked like they could cut a bitch and cause some serious damage.

Chloe’s face appeared and Mari- _no not that name_ , tried to clench her fist in anger, the familiar anger that bubbled in her very core, threatening to be released, she jerked to a stand but yelped in pain. Marin- no she, bumped her head on the floor of her loft, Mar-she really needed a new name because the old Marinette was dead and she didn't want to be associated with her any longer, had never been tall enough to bump into anything.

A rattling around her hip had her looking down and finding all her sewing supplies attached to her, they were magnified now, almost comically so, they were attached to a belt that she wore tight around her waist. A giant red button buckle stood out against her red and black ensemble. Is that where the Akuma was? 

Running a single claw - you couldn't call these monstrosities fingers anymore, she could feel the gentle pulsing of power.

Looking at herself once again in the mirror, she looked like a doll. A fucked up doll from someone with an Addams Family fetish probably.

A spider-like doll.

“ _Poupée Araignée_ ” she smiled. That was her name.

But Poupée Araignée couldn’t appear right now. She would only cause panic and catch Ladybug and Chat Noir’s attention. Hmm, there was something wrong with that sentence. But Poupée Araignée couldn’t appear in public right now and that was final. Not up for discussion, Poupée Araignée would have to think of an alternative. She needed to look like Marinette again. Poupée Araignée frowned. Hadn't she just vowed to leave behind that identity?

But nobody would suspect poor clumsy Marinette to be hiding a grotesque half spider mutant body with scissor claw hands.

The Papillon doll sat innocently on her dresser with all the other dolls. The Other Mother had sent out dolls to spy on the children. So that she could create a perfect world for them where they never wanted to leave.

A feeling of rightness echoed from her very core. Creating a perfect world. What a terrifyingly wonderful ability. Careful not to destroy the Papillon doll with her claws, Poupée Araignée took a needle that already had thread magically threaded through its eye, and with a flick of her pinky claw, Poupée Araignée removed the eyes that she had sewn on to the doll and replaced it with pretty blue button eyes.

She tried to feed some energy, magic, chakra, whatever, into the thread as she worked, after knotting and snipping off the excess, Poupée Araignée breathed life into the Papillon doll.

A moment later, Poupée Araignée was looking at herself through the eyes of the Papillon doll. It was strange like she had two screens playing at the same time. Turning to the window, Poupée Araignée opened it slightly and allowed the Papillon doll to fly away in the wind.

Find Papillon, she had commanded, find him and study him. Help me to create his perfect world.

She concentrated hard. She could feel the power, her own power, not borrowed power - had she ever borrowed power? It wrapped itself around her and when she opened her eyes once again, she looked down to see a pale fist clenched.

The height difference was staggering, Poupée Araignée had been tall, almost two whole meters, it had been strange but Poupée Araignée had adjusted quickly. Her old human body had been so weak. So frail. So fragile. Breakable.

And she did break didn’t she?

Poupée Araignée wanted revenge. Revenge on the school, on the students that she had only wanted to protect, revenge on Chloe for being a bitch. On Papillon. For turning her into this, this monster hybrid thing in the first place.

But Poupée Araignée was not a villain. She had once sworn to protect though she couldn't remember exactly when revenge would have to take a back seat. Poupée Araignée would have to deal with Papillon first.

The screen in her inner mind showed her Papillon traveling fast, flying through the streets of Paris at breakneck speeds until it flew to a familiar building, belonging to a familiar boy who had just gotten out of a limousine.

This was Adrien's house. The doll took only a moment longer to observe the boy before flying away into the house, traveling around the perimeter quickly trying to search for its human counterpart.

There was a butterfly window at the side of the Agreste mansion overlooking a beautiful garden and the city of Paris beyond its high walls. The doll floated through the opening in the window and Poupée Araignée saw the crumpled form of a man, still breathing, on the ground.

Papillon's familiar purple suit and silver mask nowhere in sight. But Poupée Araignée didn't feel her magic/power/chakra/whatever pulling her doll-Papillon and so logically, this must have been Papillon civilian form.

He was surrounded by white butterflies that fluttered anxiously around him. Poupée Araignée ordered her mini Papillon to stay put and observe, she would get back to it later.

Her inner mind seemed to understand and it felt like the screen with doll-Papillon was muted. Though she knew the doll was there in her mind space - she could still see the unconscious man through her doll's eyes, it felt distant and faint, a mere echo compared to the raging roars of her anger.

Despite exploring her new skills, the anger was still there. It would always be there. Waves rolling and tumbling under her skin, in her core, clawing to express itself through her throat.

“Marinette? Are you alright?” it was a warm voice, it called to her past self with obvious concern. “Marinette?” it took her a moment to remember. Ah, it was her father.

“I'm fine.” Poupée Araignée bit out, still unused to her old voice. It felt like Poupée Araignée was speaking through a voice alteration machine, her own throat felt foreign and her voice strange.

It didn't sound like her.

“What happened in school, cupcake? Do you want to talk about it?” her father asked cautiously, still unwilling to open the hatch, offering his daughter whatever privacy she had left.

Not that it was actually his daughter anymore.

The old Marinette can't come to the phone right now.

Why? Cause she's dead.

Stupid, foolish, trusting, Marinette.  
Betrayed, humiliated, ashamed, Marinette.

Poupée Araignée locked that side of her deep in her subconscious. She would never be treated like that again. 

Ever.

In her old human body, Poupée Araignée couldn't create any magic thread to sew magic buttons on her dolls, but she was able to make new ones. Her new, better, stronger body would never be able to handle the delicate process of stitching and stuffing. Not when her new hands would cut through the fabric like a hot knife through butter.

It was in this form that Poupée Araignée began to work. She didn't have enough fabric to make dolls of both her human parents, but surely they would be sentimental enough to accept a Marinette doll to carry around.

It seemed like they loved her old human self very much.

“I don't want to talk about it.” Poupée Araignée replied when she realized she had been silent for too long. “I'll be OK,” she added, hoping that it was reassuring enough so that the parental figure would leave her alone.

“Well, if you're sure.” her father continued. “if you need us, we'll be in the bakery.”

“I know.”

“and I mean anything, Marinette. Anything at all.”

Poupée Araignée breathed a sigh of relief, yes, her human parents definitely deserved the perfect world. They had been nothing but kind and supportive to her old self.

Step one, Work on the Marinette doll and create the perfect world for her human parents. Poupée Araignée could do that, easy. Step two, bring the Lady WiFi doll and Bubbler doll to school tomorrow. Or maybe not, it would be suspicious if her human friends began to act strangely after receiving the dolls.

Who would be a perfect candidate then? Poupée Araignée hadn't realized she had been pacing until her leg brushed against her chaise and she sat down. Thinking.

Someone who would accept a present from her no questions asked and nobody would think to look twice if they acted strangely. Pulling on her human memories took time and it gave her a headache.

Kim? No. He would think that she was confessing to him, also the dark cupid doll was still missing its wings. Poupée Araignée wouldn't give out anything sub-par.

Standing and making her way to the dresser, Poupée Araignée picked up the Rogercop doll. No, the policeman wouldn't accept gifts from a strange unknown girl. Also, he wouldn't be anywhere near her school.

His daughter? Marinette hadn't had the time to make an invisible doll and Poupée Araignée scoffed at her past self's laziness.

Chloe? The anti-bug doll stood alone to the side. Poupée Araignée narrowed her eyes, no, Chloe would rather die than accept a gift from Poupée Araignée's human form.

Ah, there it is. Grabbing Evillustrator with a gentle grip, Poupée Araignée brushed a human finger against his felt hair. Yes, the boy had wanted to bring her past self on a date for his birthday, of course, he would accept a gift from her.

Poupée Araignée smiled to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mme Cheng puts her foot down and everyone acts like the teenagers that they are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter was in the making for a while, I battled with depression and writer's block. But I hope that you all enjoy it!

Her old human body was uncomfortable, and Poupée Araignée still wasn’t used to maneuvering it. It felt like she was manipulating a bodysuit that was too small and she was about to burst out of it any moment.

That night, Poupée Araignée had joined her human parents for dinner before isolating herself in her room once again. The Papillon doll had been moved and Poupée Araignée wanted the peace and quiet to observe her first victim’s surroundings.

There were only a select number of people who resided in Agreste Manor and without her pathetic human heart in her way, Poupée Araignée could now see things logically. Papillon was a man and no matter how strong Miraculous Magic was, there was only one man who had fit the exact same body type.

The tall intimidating figure of Gabriel Agreste was a shadow of Papillon that left her shocked on how blind she had been.

Poupée Araignée was watching the man himself as he worked tirelessly in front of a large desktop, the room dimly lit in orange light from a standing lamp in the corner of the room. Gabriel Agreste was sketching while occasionally glancing towards the Papillon doll warily.

Poupée Araignée couldn’t hear anything since her doll had no ears but it didn’t take a genius to understand that M Agreste was upset. He always seemed upset, Poupée Araignée couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t. Always looking down on everyone around him, even his own son.

What would his perfect world be like?

X

Poupée Araignée gathered her blankets around her human body when it was almost time for her mother to wake her up for school. There was too much to do and too little time to waste on something like school.

Stupid human activities not worthy of her time. Poupée Araignée had a higher purpose. A mission in life. A goal to accomplish. Papillon had wanted her to steal Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous.

It was only fair that she stole his first. Now that she knew his true identity, it was easy enough to lure the uptight man into a perfect world. She would have to start slow, it would be too suspicious if Gabriel Agreste were to suddenly disappear the day after Marinette Dupain-Cheng was humiliated in front of the entire school.

Especially not when Adrien Agreste had been right there when pathetic Marinette had ran away crying clutching a crushed pie to her chest.

No.

Patience had never been one of pathetic, useless Marinette’s strong points but Poupée Araignée was quite literally the best of everything that she could have been. Without her previous anxiety and overthinking mind overflowing her brain with useless information, it was easy to slip into a calm almost meditative peace. Plans and contingencies and contingencies for the contingency plan flowed almost smoothly around her head.

Her naturally analytical mind that had been burdened by her anxiety was now able to process information that it absorbed. For some reason Gabriel Agreste had taken to bringing the Papillon doll with him wherever he went. It was there that Poupée Araignée saw the giant painting of who she assumed was the late mme Agreste.

Ah. This was going to be easy enough.

Poupée Araignée paused in her scheming when her human mother pushed her trap door open. “Marinette? Are you up? You’ll be late for school if you’re still asleep.” She called cautiously. Marinette had been quiet ever since she had returned home covered in pie and tears in her eyes.

No matter how both her and Tom had tried to question Marinette, their daughter remained stubbornly closed lipped. It was a stubbornness Sabine knew their daughter had inherited from her husband. So she had allowed their daughter to retire into her room and left her alone.

If she needed help, she would have come to them… Right?

But the Marinette that was staring into her eyes now, well, it wasn’t quite the Marinette she was used to. Too cold, too calm, there wasn’t that familiar spark in her daughter’s eyes.

“Maman, can I take the day off, please?” Poupée Araignée asked with the saddest whimper she could muster. It must have been pretty convincing because her human mother’s eyes had softened and an almost quiet, “Of course, mon cher. I’ll call the school for you.” and Poupée Araignée was once again alone in her room.

“A-and,” Poupée Araignée began, feigning worry and nervousness. It was harder to do now that she had shed her previous human persona behind. But it was necessary.

“What is it, dear?” Sabine pushed gently.

“If… If any of my classmates come around.” Poupée Araignée began with a quiver in her voice, “If any of them come around, I don’t want to see them.” A tear falls and Poupée Araignée wasn’t quite sure that she had been able to produce them, but she did and it helped to sell her lie to her human mother.

“I understand, mon cher. Go back to bed, you look so tired.”

“Thank you, maman.” Poupée Araignée whispers, catching Sabine’s gentle smile and sad eyes as the hatch to her room closes.  
It took a moment for Poupée Araignée to shake the concerned look of her human parents away from her mind. They’ll get over it, they’ll have no reason for concern when they enter their perfect world. Yes, they just had to enter their perfect world.

Forcing her human skin off her body, Poupée Araignée lets out an audible sigh of relief as she stretched over the crumpled bodysuit that pooled at her shoes. Stretching an arm out Poupée Araignée gestures for the Evillustrator puppet towards her. Now that she was so much more comfortable, she began to pace, Poupée Araignée resumes her train of thought.

All in due time, it would be far too suspicious for Marinette’s parents to go missing the day after Marinette was humiliated in school. The Evillustrator puppet floats in the air behind her, following Poupée Araignée and her mannerisms like a mini-me. The other dolls of the akumatized victims sat on her dresser, watching her pacing with blank button eyes.

Picking up a pen and opening her notebook, Poupée Araignée bends over her desk and writes a quick note.

Thank you for not laughing at me.

Marinette

Wrapping the Evillustrator puppet in some spare cellophane wrapper she had lying around in her room, She took a roll of teal satin ribbon, the colour of Nathaniel’s eyes. Hmm, yes. Perfection. Setting the Evillustrator puppet on her desk, Poupée Araignée turns and started to get dressed.

She needed more materials, there weren’t enough cloth or stuffing in her supplies to silence all of Paris. She could always conjure more with the strange energy she could feel circulating her body. But why waste power like that?

Paris was too loud. The laughter of the students, mocking her and enjoying her embarrassment, they were too loud. Poupée Araignée haunches over, the laughter of her peers echoing in her head like a symphony of mockery and shame.

Never again.

Nobody would ever make her feel that weak and pathetic ever again.

Her eyes land on the smashed pie box that sat on the corner by her trap door where she had abandoned it the previous day. A hot wave of anger bubbled in her mind and Poupée Araignée got to her feet and with a loud yell she kicks the box away.

The leftover pie splatters against her wall. The rage subsides. It was almost symbolic. She had baked that pie for Adrien, only for it to be destroyed. Just like her pathetic human self. Disgusting, squished and deformed, a shell of its former glory.

Just like Marinette had been. Another part of Marinette that for some reason Poupée Araignée just couldn’t recall. Another part of Marinette that had been taken for granted. Another part of Marinette that never got the recognition she deserved.

Not anymore.

Once everyone was kept in their perfect world, Paris would be quiet.

Too engrossed in themselves, there would be no more noise in Paris.

Too entranced by their perfect worlds.

Tomorrow Evillustrator will begin Poupée Araignée’s silent reign over Paris. But for now, Marinette needed to gather materials.  
They would never hurt her again.

X

“Marinette won’t be coming today, Alya, could you pass her the work she’ll be missing?” Mme Bustier nervously shuffles the papers on her desk.

The class was in sombre silence, it wouldn’t be the first time that Marinette’s nervous anxiety had embarrassed her terribly, but it was the first time where the entire school had been present to mock her in her misery.

Marinette and Adrien were the only ones in the class who had yet to be akumatized. None of them wanted sweet Marinette to be turned and attack Paris, every one of them had kept an eye out on the news, worry obvious in the way they nervously shifted in their seats and their eyes glancing warily at the windows.

Usually, such a mortifying event would result in an akuma attack and Ladybug saving the day. But there was no akuma attack. There was no Ladybug and Chat Noir swooping in to save them and cleanse another victim of Hawkmoth. The afternoon had passed with Marinette missing the rest of the day and the night was silent without explosion, fire or even general chaos.

Adrien sat as still in his seat as much as his discipline would allow. The bad feeling growing at the back of his head and filling up the space in his gut. He had even skipped breakfast, not that his father even noticed. Natalie had only raised a single eyebrow and made a note in her tablet.

Gorilla had been waiting to send Adrien to school, where he had been almost half an hour early in hopes of catching Marinette to see how she was doing. Guilt gripped his heart, Adrien had been the first to laugh which had triggered the rest of the school to join in. The look of betrayal in Marinette’s eyes had made him close his mouth with a snap.

But it had been too late.

Marinette had ran and there was no way Adrien could have caught up to her in time to apologise.

What kind of hero was he, to laugh instead of offering a mortified girl a helping hand?

Ladybug would have been so disappointed in him. The worry in his gut and the guilt gripping his heart had kept Adrien up all night as he tossed and turned in bed.

Plagg had been especially restless all night. Constantly floating towards the windows, as if to keep an eye out for an Akuma that was going to strike terror on Parisian streets.

Which was strange, Plagg was reluctant at the very least and outright lazy and defiant on his worst days whenever it came to saving Paris, and generally doing his job to help Ladybug cleanse the akuma. But Adrien had never seen Plagg so concerned in the year that they have worked together.

To see his little friend so distracted and tense, it had only added to Adrien’s own distress and guilt. Nobody would have been this upset and tense if Adrien had just helped his friend.

His friend.

Marinette was his friend and he had laughed at her when she needed help.

Only one year in public school and he was already making a mess.

“We should go visit her-” Adrien suggested, testing the waters, it had been a while since Chat Noir had dropped by Marinette’s balcony. And maybe seeing the girl would alleviate the worry in both their minds.

Plagg gave his chosen the side eye, the neon green eyes narrowed in thought.

“Just a peek.” the Kwami of Destruction allowed.

In a brilliant flash of green, Chat Noir stood in Adrien’s bedroom in all his black suited glory. The now familiar thrill of wearing a mask sent shivers down Chat Noir’s spine. Leaping out the open bedroom window, Chat Noir took to running on the rooftops like a duck to water.

It felt natural.

It felt like freedom.

The worry still itched at the back of his mind.

It was next to no time before he found himself crouched opposite Marinette’s home. The rooftop didn’t offer a good view of her room, through her one circular window. Her room was dark and even with his sensitive hearing, he couldn’t hear any sounds of distress.

Unable to justify spying on his classmate, Chat Noir turned away and ran towards the Eiffel Tower, hoping to keep an eye out in case of a sudden attack. It had always been the kindest people who got akumatized that ended up being one of the more powerful akumas.

But the afternoon went and gone, and as the moon began to rise, Chat Noir could do nothing but return back to his empty home. There was no akuma attack, there was no black butterfly out to attach itself to his classmate.

Now, the next day in class, Marinette’s absence was felt strongly as nobody could help themselves from glancing at the now empty seat next to Alya. Mme Bustier could only begin lessons, the unusually quiet class unable to truly concentrate.

During break, Alya was surrounded by the other girls, concern on all their faces. Though both Chloe and Sabrina had disappeared as soon as the lunch bell rang. It wouldn’t have been the first time that Chloe had caused an Akuma and by now, the prissy blonde was familiar with the dread that settled deep in her stomach.

“She hasn’t replied to any of my texts or answered any of her calls.” Alya admitted sadly. Clutching her phone like a lifeline, her screen lit to show Marinette’s chat where they could see that her last seen was before The Great Pie Disaster.

“She had been so excited to share her pies.” Rose sniffled as she read through the texts with tears in her eyes.

“We shouldn’t have laughed…” Juleka added as she rubbed Rose’s arm in comfort. It was easier to give the smaller blonde comfort rather than to face her own guilt that churned painfully in her gut.

Adrien and Nino stood to the side, the conversation that the girls were having felt too personal for the boys to intrude. Neither of them felt like they had a right to butt in to the conversation. Choosing to listen in and nodding appropriately when necessary.

“Let’s just, drop by her house during lunch.” Mylene suggested gently, a shy smile with worried eyes. “We can check if she’s alright or if she just needed a bit more time to herself.”

The other girls nodded enthusiastically, the situation was out of their control, but checking on Marinette was still something they could do. Who knows what could be happening to dear, sweet Marinette while she was all alone.

All of them had been akumatised in the course of the past year, and even though they could not remember exactly what had happened during their time under Papilion’s influence, the feeling of being used never really went away.

They couldn’t think of Marinette as an akuma. They had made a mistake, joining the rest of the school in laughing at their friend. If it had been any of them in her place, Marinette would never have laughed. Marinette would have helped or told off Chloe.

But Marinette never did have a backbone when it came to defending herself. And apparently neither did any of them.

The group of worried girls walked quickly over to the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, with the boys trailing behind. Only to be met with a tense Mme Cheng behind the counter.

“Hi Mme C, is Marinette home?” Alya asks with a smile plastered on her face.

They had all expected the petite woman to smile and invite the group to their home, it wouldn’t have been the first time. A smile on her face, a gesture to go through the kitchen. Then they’d meet with M. Dupain who would offer a friendly greeting. Maybe pull together a plate of cookies to share.

But the hard eyes of Mme. Cheng blocked the group from even inching towards the kitchen door.

“I’m sorry, kids. But she doesn’t want to see anyone today.” Mme Cheng dissuades with a shake of her head.

“B-but,” Rose begins, tears already welling up in her eyes.

“It’s just us, mme Cheng, I’m sure that Marinette would love to see her friends.” Nino answers with an easy smile. Stepping between the girls and the frowning store owner with a fluid grace. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to stepping between two bickering females. He did it often enough with Alya as his girlfriend. Usually her thirst for information, rubbing others the wrong way.

“Actually, Marinette specifically said that she didn’t want to see anybody from her class.”

The cold look in her eyes was too much for Adrien to bear.

Mme Cheng who had said that all of them were welcomed whenever they needed a sugar rush. Who waved at him from the shop window if he ever managed to pass by between shoots. Mme Cheng who had always given Adrien a smile.

"I'll have to ask you to leave, kids." There was a shake of the head and a hand gesturing towards the door. 

How much had he hurt Marinette, that even her mother would stop smiling?

How much had they hurt their friend. That not even her mother would welcome them into their home. Would it be like this from now on? Adrien once again watching longingly from a distance for something that he could never have. From somewhere he was no longer welcomed?

"But mme. Cheng, we just wanted to apoligise!" Mylene pleaded.

"You can apologise when Marinette is ready to hear it." mme Cheng response, her stance firm.

"Please just tell us if she's alright?" Juleka chimes in, her voice so soft they had almost missed it from the noise of the store. 

"Honestly? I've never seen Marinette so quiet." mme Cheng sighs before she turns to assist a customer with their purchase.It was lunch time and more customers were entering the Boulangerie. The group of teenagers tense up at the response. Marinette? Quiet? 

"As you can see, if you're not here to buy anything, I'll have to ask all of you to leave. It's simply much too busy for me to argue with you about what's best for my daughter." it was a dismissal. None of them were welcomed in the house or the boulangerie.

A vision of his father stood in front of him, replacing mme Cheng with his dissatisfied frown on his face. The vision of his father closing the door on him as he resumed his work, leaving Adrien all alone.

Blinking, he realises that the door had been shut in his face. He stood outside the bakery with a crying Rose and a teary Alya. Nino holding on to his girlfriend as she stubbornly tried not let the tears fall. Juleka’s face was hidden by her hair, but you couldn’t miss the shaking of her clenched fists and Mylene was trying to comfort the crying Rose.

Nobody in class was welcomed at the Boulangerie until Marinette said so.

Marinette who wouldn’t answer their calls or messages. Who didn’t turn up to school.

  
Were they going to lose their friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, share your comments, questions and constructive criticisms and I'd love to respond!


	3. Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poupée Araignée tries to avoid her human er- classmates. 
> 
> But she couldn't run from one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello everybody! I'm so sorry for the late update but you know, writer's block is a bitch. I kinda knew what I wanted when I first started this story, but now I'm a little lost with what I want to do. Hopefully, I'll find my way back to the long road back to Other Marinette.

Poupée Araignée strolled the busy streets of the market in her human body, only twitching or flinching when somebody bumped into her. Her much smaller human body was prone to clumsiness, though now it was because it felt like she was piloting a robot more than her human self’s natural lack of balance.

Mariette really was lacking in balance, wasn’t she? She couldn’t find the sweet spot between civilian and hero, couldn’t find it between friend and crush. Couldn’t find it between her emotions and her mind. It was a miracle her weak and pathetic human self had ever managed to stay upright.

Poupée Araignée’s body felt full as if there was too much energy running in her veins. She supposed that Hawkmoth’s purpose was to help direct the energy, siphon it for better uses, usually the mass mayhem that his usual Akumas were so fond of.

Poupée could see why, it felt like she absolutely had to release all the energy that was consistently and constantly building and shifting under her skin. And being in her human suit was making it even more uncomfortable. The power felt like it was too much.

She hums to herself as she picks up several spools of thread to add to her growing basket. She had carefully attached several balls of her special thread into her purse, now that it was empty, her ears feeling lighter than ever considering she was no longer wearing her earrings.

It was alright Poupée would no longer allow herself to be so vulnerable and weak ever again. She’d protect herself first from now on.

It was well in the afternoon, hands heavy with shopping when she heard the familiar sounds of her human name. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Alya and flash of blond, could have been either Mylene or Rose, jogging up to Poupée. She refused to acknowledge their calls and made a sharp turn down a busy street. She cursed under her breath and applied basic evasive maneuvers, her heavy bags jostling and bumping into the other shoppers that she ignored.

Poupée had expected it, after all, her ex-friends would be denied access by her human parents and would come to the town square for snacks to cheer themselves up. How many would have gone? How many people did Poupée have to avoid?

Poupée quickly turned into a store (the owner was a friend of her human father) and she gave a pleading look to the cashier who immediately recognized her.

Poupée had visited a couple of hours ago and had a pleasant conversation with her. The cashier had asked why Marinette was out shopping when she was supposed to be in school and Poupée had given her best sullen look and explained the situation.

The look of pity in the cashier’s eyes was followed by an offer Poupée a safe haven should any of her classmates come looking for her.

The cashier nodded towards the back of the store where there was a pantry and more importantly a back door for Poupée to escape. Poupée grinned and subtly sneaked past the handful of customers and entered the back room. Poupée could hear the cashier talking to her customers as she shut the door behind her before Poupée finally allowed herself to take a deep breath.

Not being in a panic, having contingency plans, being able to predict her opponents’ movements. It was so much easier compared to having the constant stream of self-doubt screaming in her mind. Her mindscape that used to just be absolute chaos now existed in a beautifully ornate room filled with boxes upon boxes to the ceiling.

Poupée would take a short break here, allow her human fri- no her classmates, to lose track of her before she made her way back to the bakery. Tonight she will begin her plan.

===

Poupée stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower with only a bag in hand. She still had her spools of thread tucked into her purse just in case. She wasn’t quite sure why, but it was so much easier to think with nothing obstructing her view.

Her mind had that little section for the dolls’ eyes constantly buzzing at the back of her head. The quiet and open-air at the top of the tower helped make the thoughts feel less overwhelming.

The Paris skyline was gorgeous. The sun had already set and it had left the City of Lights twinkling.

Beautiful. Poupée could have stayed up there forever if she really wanted to. The clean crisp air away from the pollution of mankind. The quiet breeze, the unobstructed view. She could stare at it forever.

The weight of her bag reminded her that she had a mission.

She sent out the Nathaniel-Evillustrator doll. Followed by the dolls of her human parents. Half of the Akuma dolls were with her. She watched as they floated in the air around her. Staring at her blankly with their button eyes.

“Go to them.” Poupée whispered. Her voice carried away by the wind. Her hair out of their pigtails. A Ladybug doll that sat at the very top of the Eiffel Tower signaled her. Chat Noir was coming. It was still so strange, to see herself through so many different screens in her mind space.

Poupée quickly pushed the dolls away with a wave of her magic.

“Go. Do not be seen by the cat,” She ordered as the dolls flew into the shadows, blending quietly with the darkness. Each of them wrapped in the same packaging as they glinted slightly in the city lights.

Poupée buckled her now lighter bag and eased her shoulders, adopting a calmer stance.

“Princess?” A voice. His voice called out.

“Chat.” She greeted. Chat Noir hadn’t done anything to her yet. Chat Noir was just wary of her, in case she was an Akuma. That was fair. If she was still Ladybug, she would have been concerned too.

It’s too bad that Chat Noir was just a little too late.

“A couple of your friends- uh… Contacted me. They’re concerned.” He began hesitantly.

“Is that so?” she feigned curiosity.

“T-They said… They said they tried to visit you today.” He continued hesitantly. As if he wasn’t quite sure what to say. The Ladybug doll was still watching Chat Noir from its hiding spot. Poupée could see his face, twisted and his eyes, full of pain.

Why?

“It’s none of your concern, Chat.” Poupée continues to stare at the city. The endless energy continued to hum under her human skin.

“O-Of course it is! P-Princess, no, Marinette, of course, it’s my concern.” His eyes were so full of pain. Why?

“Why?” She voiced the question. The buzzing under her skin was growing. Like there was something unsettling. There was something that she wasn’t figuring out and she wasn’t quite sure what.

“What?” he asked in return.

Poupée turned suddenly, her eyes boring into Chat Noir’s. The buzzing was getting louder. It felt like it was consuming her human body. If she didn’t have the Ladybug screen up in her mind, she would have been convinced. But ‘Marinette’ was still there and her face only looked pinched and uncertain.

“Why do you look like that?” Poupée narrows her eyes. Chat Noir had absolutely no reason to be this torn up.

She could see his lips forming words, his arms waving gestures but her ears couldn’t take in his voice as Poupée’s human body began to feel overwhelmingly small. It felt like her magic was trying to escape from the little human body that she had forced herself in, blocking Chat’s voice, the cold wind on her skin, dim the brightness of the city around her.

It was like her magic was trying to block out any distractions so that she could focus and… And think? Figure something? Think of something?

Chat Noir hadn’t- the masked hero hadn’t been anywhere near her house after the initial first day when she had sensed his magic across the street. The magic humming and buzzing under her skin was now reaching a crescendo.

Poupée didn’t know why but it surely meant that she was coming close. As if her magic was trying to guide her thoughts and instincts to a direction so that she could figure out what exactly was going on.

She had seen when her classmates had visited, courtesy of a Kung Food doll hiding in the bakery, her parents had thought it was adorable and a ‘lovely’ tribute to her grand uncle. The doll sat above the register on a shelf with the perfect view of the entire store.

The look on Chat’s face mirrored the one that many of her classmates wore when they visited.

She ignores his stuttering, ignores his half baked lies. Aware that she was making things awkward by staying silent.

This didn’t make sense. Chat had no reason to be this upset. Unless he had been there, been one of the people who had been laughing at her.

No. That regret, that pain in his eyes. It looked exactly like the expressions her classmates had when they reluctantly trudged out of the store. After they had failed to meet with her human self to apologize. Like they had known that they were at fault for causing her humiliation in front of the student body.

Oh. That was why.

Oh, God.

Chat Noir was one of her friends.

There were only two boys who went to the bakery. And Poupée was absolutely certain that Chat Noir was a boy, the two of them had held on to each other in times of danger more times that she could count. She had studied and memorized the topography of his body like it had been her second nature.

There had only been two boys who had gone to visit her at the bakery. Adrien and Nino.

And Nino was already Carapace.

Poupée could feel her head shut down. The magic soothed itself from its crescendo of irritated buzzing back into a quiet hum. Poupée took it as confirmation of what she knew was true.

Poupée could only do one thing and mustered the sweetest smile she could pull while her world felt like it was shattering.

“Chat, here. I made this and wanted to give it to you.” Poupée interrupts his stammering. Once she would have found it endearing but nothing but the annoyance was filling her head. She couldn’t bear to hear it anymore. She couldn’t. Her head couldn’t wrap around it.

More like she didn’t want to believe it.

But Poupée wasn’t burdened by overthinking that dragged her train of thought further and further away. She knew it. She knew it was the truth. It just made so much sense. God.

“Would you take it?” Poupée pleads when Chat looked hesitant - like he was about to turn her down, she didn’t need to fake the quiver in her voice. Just because she didn’t want to accept it, didn’t mean that it wasn’t the truth.

Looking at Chat Noir, now that she’s figured out his identity. It was too obvious. The damn cat had the same green eyes and the same shade of blond of his hair. Her human self was so oblivious.

So stupidly in love.

So blind.

Her human self had been staring at the back of that blond head for a whole year.

“Of course, Marinette. I’d gladly accept it.” Chat finally gave a relieved smile, he seemed content to ignore the abrupt change of subject. Poupée was content to acknowledge the avalanche of emotions until she was safely hidden in her room. The masked hero took the plush from her and Poupée could feel the doll’s eyes activating a new screen in her mind.

Chat clipped the doll to his belt and allowed it to hand freely. Making sure it was secure so that it wouldn’t fall mid-flight.

“As thanks for this gorgeous doll, how bout I give you a ride home?” He gives what Poupée would have once called a charming smirk. But now all she could see was the smile of a liar.

Of course it wasn’t Chat’s fault that he had to keep his identity. But it irritated her to no end that the boy who started the public humiliation was now desperately trying to fix things. She thought the boy behind the mask would have been better than to cause someone to get Akumatized.

“I’d like that.” Poupée steps towards the masked hero and held her arms out so that he could easily scoop her into his arms.

The pang of familiarity caused a sharp ache in her chest. She rested her head against his shoulder and held on tight as he extended his baton. She watched how she looked so comfortable in Chat Noir’s arms through Ladybug doll’s eyes.

Her eyes had always betrayed her emotions.

The Ladybug doll saw how content Poupée was in Chat Noir’s arms as he carried her back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading comments and kudos always make my day.
> 
> Also, I'd love to hear any ideas or conspiracy theories about this story. HEHE

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I'm not too sure if I want to continue with the story but the plot bunny wouldn't leave my head. 
> 
> Also, in case you were wondering, poupée araignée means Spider Doll.


End file.
